Our Story

Saint Paul’s Church has been the Episcopal presence in Doylestown since 1846.

Once upon a time, a young woman named Elizabeth Ross would travel by horseback every month from her home in Doylestown to Philadelphia, in order to receive Holy Communion. It was through her initiative that The Episcopal Church finally came to Doylestown. The St. Paul’s mission was formed in the spring of 1846, and called the Rev. George Hopkins as its first Rector. A stone building in the Gothic Revival style was erected, and consecrated on September 9, 1846. Henceforth, neither Elizabeth nor anyone else would have to ride a horse to Philadelphia to receive the Sacrament.

170+ years later, despite the countless ways our church has changed, St. Paul’s nevertheless remains committed to its founding mission: to be an Episcopal Church in Doylestown that exists to worship Almighty God as a part of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

We are a vibrant church community, right in the heart of the Doylestown borough. Our worship grounds us in everything else that we do—whether it’s fellowship and breaking bread with one another, making food for the hungry, gathering for Bible study, or leading our children into a deeper knowledge and love of God. We are a welcoming church, and affirm the diversity that is found in God’s creation and in one another. There is a place for everyone at St. Paul’s—and there is a place for you.

St. Paul’s is rooted within the Anglican tradition of the Christian faith. We are a parish of The Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania—a diocese of The Episcopal Church, which is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion.